Election of the Federal President in Austria in 2004
| Federal presidential election 2004 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52.4%
|
47.6%
|
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| Fisherman | Ferrero- Waldner |
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The federal presidential election in Austria in 2004 , the eleventh popular election of an Austrian head of state , took place on April 25, 2004. The previous incumbent, Thomas Klestil , could not seek a third term of office due to the constitution.
Starting position
The previous incumbent, Thomas Klestil , was unable to run again, as the constitution stipulated. Former National Council President Heinz Fischer from the SPÖ and Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner from the ÖVP applied for his successor .
The then Lower Austrian Governor Erwin Pröll , EU Commissioner Franz Fischler , Education Minister Elisabeth Gehrer and the then Director of Schönbrunn Zoo, Helmut Pechlaner, were also considered possible candidates for the ÖVP .
Candidates and results of the ballot
| candidate | valid votes | proportion of |
|---|---|---|
| Heinz Fischer | 2,166,690 | 52.4% |
| Benita Ferrero-Waldner | 1,969,326 | 47.6% |
Out of 6,030,982 eligible voters, 4,318,439 cast their votes, resulting in a turnout of 71.6%. 182,423 votes were considered invalid, which corresponds to 4.22% of the votes cast.
Swearing in
Heinz Fischer was sworn in before the Federal Assembly on July 8, 2004 , due to the death of his predecessor in office, the flags in front of parliament were at half-mast when he swore in.
Fischer's predecessor, Thomas Klestil , died in office on July 6, 2004, and Fischer's inauguration took place on the scheduled date. In the meantime, the tasks of the Federal President have been carried out by the three Presidents of the National Council ( Andreas Khol , Barbara Prammer , Thomas Prinzhorn ) as a college, as provided for in paragraph 1 of Article 64 of the Austrian Federal Constitution if the Federal President is permanently prevented from doing so.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.profil.at/home/von-schuessels-gnaden-72578
- ↑ a b Federal Ministry of the Interior: [1]
- ↑ Article 64 of the Austrian Federal Constitution